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Lazy Cannelloni

24 Jul 2013

If you haven't noticed yet, I like to make and do complicated things. I don't enjoy easy shortcuts and don't really think they turn out that great. But I often run out of time when guests come over for dinner cos I underestimate how long a dish can take. I would be the first to fail a time-pressure cook off!

I first made this lazy cannelloni one night for a quick dinner and thought it was pretty good, as good as a full-on, proper cannelloni recipe. So when I had some friends come over a few nights ago, I decided to make it again and I was pleasantly surprised I had half an hour to spare before they arrived. The thing I love most about this recipe is that it looks and tastes impressive, no one would have known it only took me about 20 minutes to prepare!

Lazy Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni with Mince Sauce

300g Ricotta

200g frozen Spinach (you can get fresh if you like but it will make it un-lazy)

2 eggs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Edam cheese

1/8 t ground nutmeg

Cannelloni shells

500g chunky pasta sauce or canned chopped tomatoes

Water

Garlic

1-2 t sugar

Handful of chopped parsley

100g mince

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Defrost the spinach then chop into small pieces.

2. Add the ricotta, parmesan, edam, eggs, nutmeg to the spinach. Fold until all mixed and combined.

3. Meanwhile brown the mince with some garlic, then add the pasta sauce. Add about half a cup of water to the sauce. Store bought pasta sauces are troublesome, my secret is to taste and alter it by adding my own seasoning. I find I always need to add a little more salt and 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar is my friend!

My large microstoven baking dish is one of the best investments ever. I can cook things on the stove top then throw it in the oven without using and transferring containers. You can check these out at Maxwell and Williams.

4. Stuff the cannelloni with the ricotta mixture (I have found the best tool to do this is using chopsticks!! Not recommended if you can't use chopsticks tho)

5. Lay the cannelloni in the sauce, there should be enough sauce to almost cover the tops of the cannelloni. Cover the top with mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover the top and bake at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes or until pasta is cooked.